Action, Acting and Food for Thought

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2005)

Is it the writing? The acting? The message? Whatever the reason, I found myself caring right away for the two leads in this involving tale. We first meet Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as docile members of an idyllic futuristic society. Once the stage is set, the pace picks up as the true nature of their world is revealed, and they take steps to save their own lives and bring justice to their community. White-knuckle chases on every imaginable type of vehicle are anchored by the pair's convincingly rendered transformation to emotional maturity.
A sweet love story, a thrilling action picture -- what more could you ask for? Actual thought! In a world facing ethical decisions involving human embryo research, the film's message that, however created, human beings are human beings, is powerfully communicated.
Parental warning: This film contains extremely violent scenes, almost all necessary for the communication of the message of the movie, but disturbing - even, in the case of a young mother and of Michael Clarke Duncan's character, heartbreaking. This film is NOT for children.